The Sum of My Parts: A Survivor's Story of Dissociative Identity Disorder

By the first day of kindergarten, Olga Trujillo had already survived years of abuse and violent rape at the hands of her tyrannical father. Over the next ten years, she would develop the ability to numb herself to the constant abuse by splitting into distinct mental “parts.” Dissociative identity disorder (DID) had begun to take hold, protecting Olga’s mind from the tragic realities of her childhood.

In The Sum of My Parts, Olga reveals her life story for the first time, chronicling her heroic journey from survivor to advocate and her remarkable recovery from DID. Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, DID is defined by the presence of two or more identities. In this riveting story, Olga struggles to unearth memories from her childhood, and parallel identities—Olga at five years old, Olga at thirteen—come forth and demand to be healed. This brave, unforgettable memoir charts the author’s triumph over the most devastating conditions and will inspire anyone whose life has been affected by trauma.

Customer Reviews:

Highly Recommended

By Tammy - October 9, 2011

Ms. Trujillo has truly written a tour de force in her ground breaking book The Sum of My Parts. She gives us an unflinching account of the childhood abuse she experienced at the hands of her parents and siblings. Her story is compelling. She tells it in a raw and honest manner, yet without gratuitous or sensational detail. Just as important is the story of her hard fought recovery. This is an informative and inspirational book, especially for those abused as children or who work with this population. This quintessential book is a must read for survivors, loved ones of survivors, those who work with survivors or anyone seeking to increase their understanding of this phenomena.

A mind-blowing eye-opener!

By Blue Bonnet "Rita" - October 22, 2011

I met Olga when she came to our city as a presenter at one of our domestic violence seminars. I knew she was an amazing woman from attending some of her sessions, but I have been waiting for her book to be published to learn more. I could not put this book down. Olga's account of her childhood abuse is heartwrenching...it is very hard to think about the things that happened to her as an innocent little child. There is no wonder she had to dissociate herself from the horrific abuse in order to survive. The miracle is that Olga survived with only the support and love she was blessed with by people outside her family. I work with survivors of violent crimes,as an advocate, on a daily basis and I thought I knew how important it is to empower the survivors. Olga's book really illustrates how empowering every kind word and encouragement is to a person who lives in an abusive home. Thank you, Olga, for baring your soul to the world in order to encourage other survivors and educate those of... read more

Inspiring Story

By buzzbeauty "Danielle" - January 5, 2012

The Sum of My Parts: A Survivor's Story of Dissociative Identity Disorder

By the first day of kindergarten, Olga Trujillo had already survived years of abuse and violent rape at the hands of her tyrannical father. Over the next ten years, she would develop the ability to numb herself to the constant abuse by splitting into distinct mental "parts." Dissociative identity disorder (DID) had begun to take hold, protecting Olga's mind from the tragic realities of her childhood.
In The Sum of My Parts, Olga reveals her life story for the first time, chronicling her heroic journey from survivor to advocate and her remarkable recovery from DID. Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, DID is defined by the presence of two or more identities. In this riveting story, Olga struggles to unearth memories from her childhood, and parallel identities--Olga at five years old, Olga at thirteen--come forth and demand to be healed. This brave, unforgettable memoir charts the... read more